https://agrospectrumasia.com/rssfeed/country/others others https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/3509/from-additives-to-spices-cac48-redraws-rules-of-global-food-trade.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/3509/from-additives-to-spices-cac48-redraws-rules-of-global-food-trade.html Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:50:16 +0530 Codex and FAO officials detail how updated standards aim to protect consumers without triggering disproportionate trade disruption for export-dependent economies In an exclusive Agrospectrum and NUFFOODS Spectrum interview with global food-standards leaders — Sarah Cahill, Codex Secretary; Lingping Zhang, Food Standards Officer, Codex Secretariat; Markus Lipp, Senior Food Safety Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Gracia Brisco, Food Standards Officer, Codex Secretariat; and Hilde Kruse, Senior Food Standards Officer, Codex Secretariat — CAC48 emerges as a decisive moment for Codex amid rising geopolitical fragmentation. The experts reaffirm Codex’s science-based, consensus-driven mandate, which shaped major reforms including additive reviews, aflatoxin updates, pesticide-residue reference guidelines and new maximum lead levels for spices. They underline how improved Codes of Practice, surveillance support and harmonised quality parameters enable consumer protection while minimising trade disruption for export-reliant economies. Looking ahead, they highlight the Codex Strategic Plan 2026–2031, which places digital traceability, climate-risk foresight, and advanced analytical technologies at the core of modernising global food safety governance. Edited excerpts; Codex at a Geopolitical Crossroads The 48th Session saw critical standards adopted across additives, contaminants, and fresh-produce quality. At a time when food systems face geopolitical fragmentation, supply-chain shocks, and rising protectionism, how does Codex ensure these standards remain science-led, globally harmonized, and insulated from political pressure? The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is a Member-driven body with its commitment to a science-based approach to standard setting enshrined in its procedures. Its work is guided by its strategic goals, and its core values of collaboration, inclusiveness, consensus building and transparency. Codex texts are the benchmark for food safety under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and are relevant to the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) where WTO members refer to harmonization with international standards such as the Codex Alimentarius for food-related issues such as labelling. Codex standards play an important role in addressing specific trade concerns or for dispute settlement cases. Wherever you are, whatever you do, safe food is an everyday need. And it is a global commodity. These aspects are integral to every discussion in the Codex Alimentarius Commission. “Together” was also the theme of CAC48, which served to highlight that when it comes to food safety and quality it is only by working together that we can effectively and efficiently ensure food is safe and of good quality.  The GSFA Overhaul: Science, Safety, and Consumer Trust More than 500 food additive provisions were reviewed, leading to revocations and new inclusions. What principles guided the reassessment—particularly for colourants like annatto extracts—and how does FAO ensure regulators and industry transition smoothly to these updated provisions without disrupting product availability or trade flows? All Codex work is conducted following approval by CAC. Thus, the decision for reassessment was taken by Members. In the case of annatto extracts, this decision was based on: The need to align the General standard for food additives with relevant sections of commodity standards. In this case, for example, there was a need to align with the Standard for fermented milks, which does not provide for the addition of annatto extracts in plain milk. Codex texts are developed through consensus by all its Members in a deliberate manner that often spans a timeframe of several years. The national Codex contact points serve as a primary node to disseminate all applicable information to national stakeholders. In addition, FAO provides support when requested by Member Countries to strengthen national Codex structures, thereby enhancing national capabilities in disseminating all relevant Codex texts to national stakeholders. Aflatoxins in Peanuts: New Science, New Responsibilities The revised Code of Practice on aflatoxins integrates updated agronomic science, maturity-stage tables, and roasting effects. How will FAO help producing countries—especially smallholder-dependent economies—translate these best practices into field-level change? Are new surveillance, extension, or capacity-building mechanisms planned? FAO stays ready to support its members needs and will respond to requests by its members for additional capacity building measures correspondingly. FAO and Codex furthermore have published numerous guidance documents, codes of practice and related texts that is publicly available, ready to be used by any other organization that would like to use this information in order to support producers of peanuts. Lead Limits in Spices: Balancing Public Health and Trade facilitation With new maximum levels now set for dried bark (cinnamon) and culinary herbs, exporting nations such as —India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia—face compliance pressure. How does Codex balance the dual mandate of protecting consumers health while ensuring fair practices in trade, in this case, preventing trade disruptions for economies reliant on spice exports? The mandate to protect consumer health and ensure fair practices in the food trade is the statutory purpose of CAC. This means that, when it comes to food safety standards such as maximum levels for contaminants in foods, CAC will not establish more stringent measures than necessary to protect consumers health so that the measures themselves do not become a technical barrier to trade which may then translate in trade disruption that may impact economic growth and ultimately food security.   Although spices and culinary herbs are consumed in small amounts, as opposed to other foods, it remains important to assess the safety of lead levels in these foods due to the impact of lead toxicity on human health that may include neurodevelopmental effects such as decreases in Intelligence Quota (IQ) and attention span in children, impaired renal function, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, impaired fertility, and adverse pregnancy outcomes and therefore the ALARA continued to apply when CCCF discusses risk management considerations related to health and trade so that while ensuring the safety of the food, this does not imply high rejections rate of lot consignments, at import control point. CCCF does provide support to Codex Members to enable them to comply with MLs, by developing codes of practice, a compendium of risk management measures and practices to assist in reducing food contamination, in this case CAC40 adopted in 2017 the Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of mycotoxins in spices (CXC 78-2017). FAO does have a role to play in assisting countries with the implementation of the CoP, helping them to identify specific risk management measures that may not be included in the CoP, as they are usually overarching texts, that can complement the measures applicable worldwide that are described in these CoPs. The Codex Alimentarius Commission has now adopted MLs for lead in spices and culinary herbs, specifically, dried bark (cinnamon) and dried culinary herbs. The MLs are 2.5 mg/kg for lead in spices, dried bark and 2.0 mg/kg for lead in culinary herbs, dried and will now be added to the General Standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed (CXS 193-1995).  Pesticide Reference Materials: A Quiet but Critical Reform The guidelines allowing extended use of pesticide reference materials beyond labelled expiry dates could significantly reduce laboratory costs and waste. What drove this reform? And how does FAO envision it strengthening residue monitoring systems in low- and middle-income countries where testing infrastructure remains limited? Pesticide residues in food are a subject of particular concern for consumers and in the food trade. To ensure the safety of food, the regulation of pesticide use, and relevant residues, must be enforced and guaranteed. Part of the process of testing for pesticide residues relies on laboratories being able to access what are known as reference materials, or RMs. But these are costly and sold with 2-to-5-year short-term expiry dates, though there is no requirement to find maximum shelf life. This can force laboratories to buy new RMs more frequently than potentially necessary. This leads to additional work and additional costs, and that can hinder how much testing can be done.  The Codex Alimentarius Commission has now adopted guidelines that provide a scientifically sound framework to monitor the purity and stability of reference materials under defined conditions, which, if implemented correctly, may allow continued use of RMs beyond their expiry date - where purity remains within acceptable limits. This reduces recurring costs, minimizes waste, and ensures confidence in the reliability of pesticide residue analysis.  The work on the development of guidelines for monitoring the purity and stability of reference materials of pesticides during prolonged storage commenced at CCPR51 in 2019, when some delegations expressed concerns regarding the limitation of the use of reference materials beyond the expiry date, leading to significant recurring costs for laboratories. As chair of the electronic working group (EWG), India led the work to develop these guidelines. FAO stays ready to support its members needs and will respond to requests by its members for additional capacity building measures correspondingly.  Read more about this work in the 2025 edition of the CODEX magazine   Standard for Fresh Dates: Trade Enablement for Climate-Stressed Regions The new standard comes after a decade of negotiations and is deeply important for date-producing regions across the Middle East and North Africa. How will harmonized quality parameters—size, colour, uniformity, defects—reshape global trade? Can such standards help climate-stressed producers secure better prices in high-value retail markets ? By adopting the new Standard for fresh dates, Codex Members now have an international reference that provides the baseline for international trade of this commodity upon which trading partners can agree on additional quality provisions based on their consumers’ preferences. For producing countries, this opens up trade possibilities across the globe, which, in many cases, will support the livelihoods of small producers, bolster economies and provide a safe, good quality product for consumers worldwide. Castilla Lulo (Naranjilla): Regional Standards as a Strategic Tool This new regional standard reflects the fruit’s cultural importance and emerging trade value in Latin America. What criteria does Codex use to decide when a product merits a regional rather than global standard? And do regional standards serve as testbeds for potential future global adoption? When considering new work proposed by FAO/WHO regional coordinating committees, CAC considers, amongst other things, whether the new work is justified on the grounds that the product in question is significantly traded intraregionally and that there is no significant trade between or within other regions When a commodity for which there is a regional standard, sees increased trade at a global level, the coordinating committee concerned, or a Member, can propose extension of the territorial application of the standard. This involves new work, which has to be approved by CAC. CAC48 approved, for example, new work on converting the Regional standard for laver products (Asia) to a worldwide standard, work that will be carried out by the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP). The Next Frontier: Modernizing Codex for a New Era of Food Risks From AI-driven food systems to precision fermentation, novel ingredients, and climate-linked contaminants, food safety risks are evolving faster than many national regulatory systems. What are FAO’s top priorities for modernizing Codex over the next decade? How will future standards incorporate digital traceability, climate risk modelling, and new analytical technologies? FAO is a parent organization of Codex, together with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, work prioritization in Codex is the remit of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. CAC47 adopted the Codex strategic plan 2026–2031 and CAC48 its monitoring framework. The purpose of the Codex strategic plan and its renewal and renegotiation every five years is to ensure that Codex work is aimed at achieving the most appropriate objectives. FAO has a very long-standing tradition to inform the Codex Alimentarius Commission and its subsidiary bodies with all relevant information to facilitate forward looking workplanning. FAO continues to offer its support to all its members and the members of the Codex Alimentarius Commission to assist in national capacity building activities to strengthen food control systems, food safety governance and all related aspects. The new strategic plan has as its first Strategic Goal to: Respond to Members’ needs for protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the food trade in an evolving global landscape, by developing science-based standards and related texts 1.1 Foresight and horizon-scanning activities are used to support the identification of issues likely to impact food safety, quality and trade. 1.2 Scientific advice that addresses the needs identified by CAC and its subsidiary bodies is primarily provided by FAO and WHO and their joint scientific advisory bodies, informed by globally representative data and appropriate international expertise and methodology. 1.3 Scientific advice is used by CAC and subsidiary bodies in line with Codex risk analysis principles. 1.4 Codex standards and related texts are developed, reviewed and adopted in a timely, transparent and inclusive manner. Thus, with reference to FAO’s foresight programme ( https://www.fao.org/food-safety/scientific-advice/foresight/en/ ), Codex will aim to keep ahead of emerging trends Codex work is already addressing some of the key emerging issues and adapting based on Members’ priorities: Digital traceability is already a key topic of discussion in the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS), and work is ongoing to develop texts for the digitalization of national food control systems. CAC47 adopted the Codex Committee on Food Labelling’s (CCFL’s) Guidelines on the provision of food information for pre-packaged foods to be offered via e-commerce New food sources and production systems have been discussed extensively in Codex in recent years. In this context several areas of new work are under discussion which will help define how codex addresses this emerging area moving forward. Changing climate is also impacting food safety and this is also impacting the standard setting work of Codex. For example, the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) elaborated and CAC47 adopted the Code of practice for the prevention or reduction of ciguatera poisoning, in response to the evolving nature of this issue, which is related to climate factors. The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene developed and CAC46 adopted Guidelines for the safe use and reuse of water in food production and processing in response to Members concerns about the need to ensure that in the context of water resource challenges, the safety of food was not negatively impacted. There is a continued emphasis, particularly within CCCF, on the issue of mycotoxins, the threat of which is evolving and possibly expanding as climate factors change. —---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/3361/coral-reefs-vs-climate-chaos-dr-jenni-brandon-on-race-to-save-earths-underwater-cities.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/3361/coral-reefs-vs-climate-chaos-dr-jenni-brandon-on-race-to-save-earths-underwater-cities.html Fri, 31 Oct 2025 13:30:22 +0530 In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Dr. Jenni Brandon, CEO and Sustainability Consultant at Wild Beacon Consulting, reveals how coral reefs marshal an arsenal of biological ingenuity — from genetically diverse lineages to symbiont-swapping survival strategies — to endure the escalating tyranny of warming and acidifying oceans. She argues that restoration must be rooted not in cosmetic transplantation but in evolutionary prudence, selecting morphologies and genotypes most equipped for tomorrow’s oceans and leveraging naturally resilient habitats such as upwelling zones. Dr. Brandon spotlights the reefs’ macroeconomic indispensability: they are coastal sentinels, food-system pillars, and tourism engines whose erosion could destabilize livelihoods and national balance sheets alike. Although reefs are not classical blue-carbon sinks, she underscores their essential role in safeguarding carbon-rich ecosystems — a rationale for scaling blue bonds and debt-for-nature swaps that yoke biodiversity protection to investible climate outcomes. With the advent of AI-assisted surveillance, satellite foresight and rapid eDNA diagnostics, she concludes, humanity now possesses the tools to pre-empt catastrophe — so long as governance frameworks unite scientific precision, local stewardship, and uncompromising urgency. I. Reef Resilience and Climate Dynamics Mechanisms of Resilience: With rising sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification, what are the most decisive biological and ecological mechanisms that enable certain coral species or reef systems to withstand climate stress, and how can this inform targeted conservation strategies? More resilient corals have a few ecological commonalities, including living in deeper, colder waters, but also living in more variable waters, where they have become more resilient to changing temperatures than those in stable environments. Biologically, certain genetic strains seem to be more resilient, as well as the corals with more diverse genetic makeup. If you have higher genetic diversity, you are more likely to have some strains survive a bleaching event. Certain morphologies also seem to survive better, like in Papua New Guinea, where big boulder-shaped corals have taken over reefs compared to more fragile branching corals that are more sensitive to ocean acidification. Then there are also the coral-algae symbionts, where corals with more heat-resistant symbiotic algae survive better, and some corals will actually swap out their symbiotic algae for more heat-resistant algae in a warming event. Adaptive Management under Uncertainty: Given the high variability of reef responses across regions, how should policymakers and investors design adaptive, evidence-based interventions that balance short-term protection with long-term ecosystem integrity? Some intervention approaches include replanting coral outcroppings, and this should be done thinking about the morphology, symbiotic algae community, and genetic diversity of those corals. Too many of the same corals replanted will not add to the genetic diversity and could all be wiped out in a marine heat wave. Similarly, replanting corals in areas of upwelling may lead to those corals becoming more resilient and lead to more long-term resiliency. II. Economics, Valuation, and Climate Finance Monetizing Reef Resilience: Coral ecosystems provide critical services—fisheries, tourism, and coastal protection. How can we rigorously quantify these benefits in economic terms to attract private investment and integrate reef conservation into ESG portfolios? I'm not an economist, so I can't definitively answer that. But you have to think of the jobs created not just by the fishing vessels themselves, but the seafood processing plants, and the seafood markets and seafood restaurants. The tourism jobs that would disappear if there was no healthy coral reef to visit (hotels, restaurants, SCUBA boats, beach shops, etc). Also, the coastal protections that a coral reef provides, including stopping storm surge, protecting during hurricanes, fighting erosion, being nursery habitat for those fisheries. It goes on and on. Florida values their coral reefs at a value of $8.5 billion, when you start to add all those pieces together. Blue Carbon and Market Mechanisms: What are the methodological and regulatory challenges of incorporating coral reefs into carbon markets or nature-based solutions financing, and how can these frameworks ensure both ecological fidelity and investor confidence? Coral reefs are not direct blue carbon sinks themselves, because the act of calcification releases CO2. But they help protect other blue carbon ecosystems like seagrass from erosion or storm surge, so they are part of the blue carbon ecosystem. But to be part of the carbon market, there would need to be significant research on the MRV, or measurement, reporting, and verification, of exactly where the carbon goes in a reef system and how permanently it is sequestered, if at all. That's not to say that coral reefs aren't a nature-based solution, for all the ecosystem services I mentioned above. They are, and financing coral reef and restoration for those ecosystem services makes a lot of sense for both ecological and economic reasons. III. Cross-Sector Governance and Strategic Collaboration Private-Public Synergy: How should corporations, philanthropic organizations, and governments strategically co-invest in reef resilience to generate measurable climate, biodiversity, and economic impact simultaneously? There are debt instruments like blue bonds that are being created where a government, development bank, or corporation, issues a bond that is specifically designed for projects that benefit the ocean and the blue economy. These can be used for things like coral reef restoration, or preventing water pollution from entering the ocean and polluting reefs, or establishing an MPA, or making a fishery more sustainable. These often include debt-for-nature swaps, where a country's foreign debt is reduced in exchange for investing in conservation projects. These bonds are new but have been incredibly successful both economically and for the climate. IV. Innovation and Forward-Looking Insights Technology-Enabled Monitoring and Intervention: Emerging tools—AI-driven reef health analytics, satellite imaging, and environmental DNA—offer unprecedented monitoring precision. How can these technologies be integrated into decision-making pipelines to optimize intervention timing, prioritize restoration, and de-risk investments in reef resilience? These tools are de-risking some of the decisions about where and when to focus restoration efforts. They are allowing scientists to be more precise in replanting efforts, but also to see a bleaching event coming earlier so they can react quicker. They are taking the guesswork out of some of this research and allowing scientists to not spend so many manhours underwater surveying the reef, but instead have eyes on what's going on nearly 24/7. By allowing scientists to see what's going on at all times, that allows them to make more informed, quicker, restoration and policy decisions. --- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/190/global-apiculture-market-grows-10-3-billion-in-2022.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/190/global-apiculture-market-grows-10-3-billion-in-2022.html Tue, 15 Nov 2022 17:39:34 +0530 Worldwide demand for apiculture products estimated to increase at a CAGR of 4 per cent through 2032. According to a recently published industry report by Fact.MR, the value of the global apiculture market is $ 10.3 billion in 2022 and the same is projected to reach $ 15.3 billion by 2032-end. Worldwide demand for apiculture products is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 4 per cent through 2032. Bee venom, royal jelly, propolis, bee bread, honeydew, beeswax, and honey are some key ingredients that are available in the market that are widely used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors. Further, honey is also used as a carrier in Ayurveda and helps prevent colds, coughs, etc., and acts as a laxative. Honey is used as a treatment for acne cure, to reduce weight and anxiety, to improve digestion, and others. The product is also utilized as a sweetener in different organic products. Further, pollen is an effective source of proteins and vitamins. Propolis consists of natural antibiotics that are used commonly to make anti-ageing and cosmetic products. Elders use royal jelly as a nutrition-rich diet. Furthermore, venom is applied to cure the sting of bees and serve effectively against AIDS. In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the demand for honey-based products and honey due to shifting consumer preference towards Ayurveda products. A noticeable increase in the demand for chemical-free, natural, and organic products further drives growth opportunities in the apiculture market. There are various products that are available around the world because of their wider application range. These are useful in different end-use industries such as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, polishing, food and beverages, cosmetics, etc. Bees, propolis, royal jelly, venom, wax, honey but pollen, queens, and their larvae are some useful bee products that are available in the apiculture (beekeeping) industry. Honey can serve as the best cure for a lot of body and health problems; for instance, blood sugar, ulcers, heel burns, cough, etc. Owing to probiotic and anti-bacterial properties, honey is being used at an increased rate to make different soaps, medicines, cosmetic products, etc. Bee venom is basically an indispensable ingredient that is used generally to cure the sting of the bee. Further, it is also used for the treatment of various problems such as rheumatism and arthritis. Honey is helpful for the reduction of indigestion and acidity, and for glowing skin. Honey is further used to boost immunity and lower the risk of heart disease. Thus, with the growing use of these products across the medical industry, the expansion opportunities in global apiculture are likely to increase over the coming years. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/114/bayer-to-scale-up-its-sahbhaagi-program-for-micro-entrepreneurs.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/114/bayer-to-scale-up-its-sahbhaagi-program-for-micro-entrepreneurs.html Sat, 10 Sep 2022 11:17:25 +0530 The program has registered more than 4000 Sahbhaagis across India and is now focusing on empowering more women and youth Agri-entrepreneurs Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture, announced its plan to scale up its Sahbhaagi program to empower rural women and youth with an aim to develop a comprehensive agricultural ecosystem. The ‘Bayer Sahbhaagi Program’ was launched in 2019 and today the program has more than 4000 Sahbhaagis across India. This initiative creates unique opportunities for rural entrepreneurs to partner with Bayer, explore alternate demand generation routes and enhance Bayer’s reach to farmers. Sahbhaagi is a rural micro-entrepreneurship development model which empowers farmers, women and rural youth to become an advisor and recommend right solutions to smallholder growers. The scale-up of the Sahbhaagi program will include adding more Sahbhaagi partners to create a strong network of outreach and engagement with farmers across India, and anyone above the age of 18 with knowledge of agriculture and access to a smartphone is eligible to become a Sahbhaagi. In addition to enrolling young Agri-entrepreneurs, Bayer understands the major role women play in shaping their families and the agriculture value chain. Their role as influencers in buying decisions makes them the perfect partners to scale up the program. The program will be further fueled by the adoption of smartphones and evolving digital technologies that have created new touchpoints with farmers. The Sahbhaagis have been trained and equipped to recommend the right solutions to smallholder farmers as per local farm conditions. The smallholder growers get access to Bayer products digitally with the assistance of the Sahbhaagi This program is currently active in 24 states, across more than 470 districts and 1980 sub-districts. Speaking about the program, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head – Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka said, “In our broad effort to transform agricultural practices for the benefit of local communities, we aim to provide opportunities to micro-entrepreneurs to encourage sustainable and responsible farming and support rural productivity. Bayer will continue to work closely with these Sahbhaagis to create a sustainable ecosystem in their villages, adopting the latest agricultural and farming practices, learning the technical know-how of Bayer products and offering customized crop and product advisory to farmers.” Bayer has also set up a toll-free number 18001204049 to provide more details to the rural population and facilitate enrollment in the Sahbhaagi program. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/113/boston-based-salient-predictions-unveils-suite-of-weather-metrics-for-agri-sector.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/113/boston-based-salient-predictions-unveils-suite-of-weather-metrics-for-agri-sector.html Sat, 10 Sep 2022 11:10:57 +0530 Salient Predictions, a Boston-based technology company that creates the world’s most accurate subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) weather forecasts and analytics, has announced the launch of a new suite of weather metrics which will provide agribusiness and food producers with data to make faster, smarter decisions. The company’s new agriculture metrics incorporate hyper-localised forecast data which is relevant to the agriculture sector. This data is based on Salient’s industry-leading ocean and land-surface forecasting technologies developed from decades of research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and MIT. “Agriculture businesses are experiencing first-hand effects of our changing climate, having more accurate, long-term weather metrics that go far beyond what’s possible today gives a critical advantage for resource planning and preparedness in the face of increasing climate disruptions.” said Matt Stein, CEO of Salient. “These new and enhanced metrics enable agribusinesses to better anticipate the impacts of weather on their operations,” said Janet Lee, Chief Product Officer at Salient. The Metrics helps agribusinesses better anticipate the needs of their customers and proactively place the right products at the right time to maximize the benefits realized. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/112/basf-builds-crop-protection-manufacturing-hub-in-singapore.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/112/basf-builds-crop-protection-manufacturing-hub-in-singapore.html Sat, 10 Sep 2022 11:04:46 +0530 The plant will have a production capacity of seven million litres per year, to cover 20 million ha of farmland and employ a staff of more than 25 employees. BASF broke ground on a new regional production hub in Singapore for its crop protection products in Asia Pacific. Groundbreaking ceremony marks start of a new BASF production hub for crop protection in Singapore. Scheduled for completion in Q3 2021, the multipurpose facility has been designed to handle six different formulation technologies and will supply the company’s patented crop protection products to farmers across the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region.  When fully operational, the plant will have a production capacity of seven million litres per year, to cover 20 million ha of farmland and employ a staff of more than 25 employees. Khalil A Bakar, director of energy and chemicals at the Singapore Economic Development Board, said that BASF’s regional production hub in Singapore is expected to enhance the supply of safe, nutritious and affordable food in the region.  Vincent Gros, president of BASF’s agricultural solutions division, remarked, “With this new facility, we will be able to help farmers in Asia, including many smallholders, improve the productivity and sustainability of their farms. We are very optimistic about the future of agriculture in the region, and the potential for Singapore to help serve as a hub for agricultural technology for the Asia-Pacific.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/107/arcadia-biosciences-receives-patents-for-herbicide-tolerant-wheat.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/65/107/arcadia-biosciences-receives-patents-for-herbicide-tolerant-wheat.html Sat, 10 Sep 2022 10:49:36 +0530 Company receives patent approval from Australia and notice of allowance from the U.S.   Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.® (Nasdaq: RKDA), a leader in science-based approaches to enhancing the quality and nutritional value of crops and food ingredients, announced on Thursday the Australia Patent Office has granted the company a foundational patent covering herbicide tolerance in wheat. Patent Number 2016288257 grants intellectual property protection for mutations to the wheat genome to make it herbicide tolerant. The company also received a U.S. Notice of Allowance 15/740,876 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the same technology. Australia and the United States are the first major wheat-producing countries to approve the patents, with additional patents pending in other key wheat markets.  “This technology will serve as the foundation for future innovation in herbicide tolerance in wheat,” said Randy Shultz, Ph.D., chief technology officer at Arcadia Biosciences. “With additional research, this technology could also open the door to development of a highly efficient hybrid wheat production system, which would transform the wheat industry.”  Arcadia is currently soliciting potential licensing partners for its herbicide tolerant wheat technology. “This technology can be an important tool in the hybrid breeding toolkit for the right wheat innovator” added Sarah Reiter, chief commercial officer at Arcadia. ]]>